Basin Lakes, Eastern Washington



In the middle of the dry, eastern Washington desert, surrounded by gently rolling hills and bordered by the Columbia River, is the Crab Creek Wildlife Area. Within this 20,000 acre Wildlife Area resides arguably the best trout fishing in the state. When irrigation water made its way through Crab Creek Canyon, the result was the formation of three crystal clear lakes, Lenice, Nunnally, Bobby and Merry. Other lakes in the area include Beda, Lenore, Dry Falls, Quail and the Seep Lakes.

With profound Damselfly, Chironomid and Callibaetis hatches to name a few, these lakes are a fly-fishers paradise. With such an abundance of food available, small fry can easily gain up to 6-8 inches in a single year. Rainbows up to 22 inches and browns to 25 inches reside in these lakes lurking in the depths, waiting to pound anything unfortunate enough to be in the water after the sun goes down, including your fly!

Starting in March when the ice disappears, the season on these basin lakes begins. Fishing chironomids and leaches in the depths can find early season success. Come late May and June, the dry fly fishing really heats up. Many anglers make use of float tubes to gain the best access to the lakes, enabling them to fish both the shore lines and the depths. In addition to the float tube, Lake Nunnally also boasts a remarkable "flats" fishing experience. The bottom of Nunnally is firm but mossy with spots of sand making the wading very easy and spotting cruising trout even easier.

During the months of June through September, the early morning and late evening dry fly fishing can be simply unreal. Average trout around 17 inches with many larger, cruising the shallows picking off nymph and adult Damselflies, midges, caddis and mayflies within 20 feet of you. When the sun is down, stripping large streamers or mouse patterns can produce strikes that can leave you stunned and without a fly.

For the novice and expert alike, this is an exciting and educational experience. This trip can provide the base to become a great fly angler or add to an already knowledgable anglers bag of tricks. We have very limited availability for this special trip, book as soon as possible.

Menu options for full day trips -- Lunch

Clothing and equipment checklist -- Summer

Pricing:

$500.00

Full day walk and wade/float tube trip. Price per angler, 2 max. Includes: Transportation to and from Crab Creek Lakes from Seattle, lunch, non-alcoholic beverages, flies, leader and tippet. Recommended Equipment: Float tube, 4-6 weight rod, floating and sinking line, waders with boots and fins. Rental equipment is available.

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